TORONTO — “I never thought I’d be a Jewish community professional growing up. But the respect I have for them and the passion they have has shown me a whole different side of the community.”
Josh Cooper
So says Josh Cooper, the now former executive director of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) – which he helped found in 2005 – who, as of August, will be the new executive director of Jewish National Fund (JNF) Toronto.
Sitting in his office among packed boxes on his last official day at CJPAC earlier this month, Cooper told The CJN he felt the committee had now reached a point of strength wherein it could continue on under new leadership.
“I was hired to start a national advocacy organization. Four-and-a-half years later, I can say I did. So now it’s on to the next challenge. If I’m going to [change jobs], this is a good time,” he said.
“I’m leaving now because I can. CJPAC is as strong as it has ever been… [and] will continue promoting political engagement and I can go on and help JNF.”
Cooper said under his stewardship, CJPAC – whose mandate is to encourage Canadian Jews to become active in politics, regardless of party preference – now has “thousands” of paid members across Canada and has established a number of annual initiatives and programs aimed at boosting youth involvement in politics.
Some of these include “mock election” camp tours and visits to Parliament Hill with high school and university students.
He said if he was to remain executive director of CJPAC, its next objectives would likely be to increase membership, open a new office somewhere in the West and strive for “overall increased levels of engagement.” But he quickly qualified that the next executive director will make his or her own decisions.
While no one has been named to replace Cooper at CJPAC, he said his successor will be determined through an “open process.”
Looking toward his new role at JNF – where he replaces longtime executive director Ben Prossin, who died last February – Cooper said he’s excited to join an organization that, contrary to the relatively new CJPAC, has existed for more than 100 years in service of Israel.
“It’s the first time I’ll have an opportunity to work with an existing brand,” he said. “If you’re passionate about Israel, it’s the place to be.”
He said one of his biggest challenges will be transferring the same energy he brought to CJPAC over to JNF.
At 39, Cooper said he was considered the “old man” at CJPAC, but he realizes that dynamic will change as soon as he sets foot in JNF, with its seasoned staff.
“I’ve got 108 years of [JNF] history to catch up on, and only two weeks to do it,” he laughed.
It’s his hope, he said, that he can bring a youthful passion about Israel and his experiences at CJPAC in drawing the attention of Jewish youth to JNF.
“The 40-and-under crowd know a little about JNF, but not as much as they should. In order for the 20-to-40 demographic to get more involved in JNF, they need to know what it does,” he said.
To that end, Cooper said one of the areas he’s been asked to look at once he starts his new job is the area of “young leadership.”
“I need to focus on the younger demographic. It’s about getting them involved, on board. Trees are certainly a part of [JNF’s activities], no doubt, but there’s much more,” he said.
Harkening back to the methods he used at CJPAC to grab the attention of young people, Cooper said that at JNF, he’ll be paying a lot of attention to new technologies, which he said are crucial to reaching today’s youth and 30somethings.
Not that he wants to alienate the organization’s older patrons.
“Certainly you don’t want to do anything at the expense of your base… but there’s a huge opportunity with the under-50 demographic. I need to focus on them in terms of new development. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be more involved,” Cooper said.
“[In May], JTA put out a list of the Top 20 influential Jewish organizations that use Twitter. CJPAC was the only Canadian organization on that list. I take great pride in that.”
Although he’s not looking to politicize his new employer, Cooper said he’s open to working with CJPAC and any other organizations that want to help JNF.
“We’re all in this for the same reasons. It’s better for us as a community to present a united front,” he said. “I’m not in a silo. It’s whoever wants to work with us. At CJPAC we worked with many Jewish organizations in some form or other.”
Cooper is also no stranger to the art of the schmooze. In 2004 he ran as MP candidate for the Conservatives in the riding of Thornhill after meeting a then relatively unknown Stephen Harper and being inspired by his pro-Israel political stance, he said. He ultimately lost to Liberal Susan Kadis, but his experience allowed him to hone his abilities as a successful networker.
“I didn’t grow up a political junkie, but I saw politics as the best way to make a difference for Israel,” he said.
Asked if he would ever return to politics, Cooper, the founder and former owner of Par Golf Camps, said he never says never, but right now he’s happy continuing his career as a Jewish community leader.
“As a career path, it’s something more people should be considering. At the end of the day, to be able to make a real difference, it’s great.”
